The Wanamaker Building stands today not just as an architectural icon but as an
active reminder of how Philadelphia’s thriving downtown began.
—Michael A. Nutter, mayor of Philadelphia
In 2011, the Wanamaker Building will celebrate its one hundredth anniversary. The building still plays an important role in the daily lives of many Philadelphians. But the building plays an even more important role in the memories of many people who came to the building to shop, work or meet up with one another.
City Councilman Frank Rizzo Jr. remembers that Wanamaker’s “was a very, very special place to shop for very, very special occasions.” Rizzo recalls that when he “got a gift from Wanamaker’s, [he] knew that it was going to be a special gift. And…it always was.” Pat Ciarrocchi agrees. “Any gift—any special gift—you went to Wanamaker’s to get it.” For Trudy Haynes, Wanamaker’s was the epitome of class. “Wanamaker’s was a store that people enjoyed going to because it was a very pretty store. It was a very up-class store that made you feel pretty when you went into it to shop,” says Haynes.
Sally Starr’s first credit card came from Wanamaker’s. “I’d tell my husband, Jesse, that I’m going over to Wanamaker’s. I’d come back and he’d say ‘Sally, what did you do!’” says Sally. For her, it was the merchandise and service that helped make Wanamaker’s stand apart from the competition. “Wanamaker’s was a high-end store with good bargains and good merchandise. But most importantly, Wanamaker’s stood behind their merchandise.”
Lynne Abraham took the Number Forty-two trolley with her grandmother for special shopping trips to Wanamaker’s. She equates a trip to Wanamaker’s “like taking a trip to Valhalla.” “It was so imposing and impressive as a kid,” says Abraham. Joel Spivak also enjoyed his trolley trips to Wanamaker’s and fondly recalls the grandeur of the Grand Court. “I loved going down there because you could look down and see the big organ. It was really great when the organ was playing,” says Spivak. The store was mammoth in size but every floor offered something different and unique. Spivak says that Wanamaker’s was special because “each floor had its own environment.”
Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell says that Wanamaker’s was more than just a convenient place to meet. “It was fun because there was always a lot of activity,” says Governor Rendell. “There was so much about the old Wanamaker’s that made it a special place, including the Christmas Show, the organ and the Eagle.” But probably his favorite memories are of his son, Jesse, enjoying breakfasts with Santa, the Easter Bunny and Mickey Mouse. For Governor Rendell and his family, Wanamaker’s was full of entertainment and fun. “It was just a spectacular place.” Mayor Michael Nutter admires the role that the Wanamaker’s store and the Wanamaker building played in the lives of many Philadelphians. “In Philadelphia’s great history as a ‘city of firsts’, the Wanamaker Building succeeded not just as an innovative kind of retail center but as a central destination and meeting place for citizens across the city,” says Mayor Nutter.
As the curator of the Great Wanamaker organ, Curt Mangel praises the building’s current tenant for the respect it shows for “without question, the most famous organ in the world.” “Macy’s has been the best operator of the organ since Rodman [Wanamaker] passed away in 1928,” says Mangel. Even though the store has been reduced to only three selling floors, Mangel says, “the current organ suits the space acoustically.”
For Mercia Grassi, working at Wanamaker’s was a dream come true. “I had already made up my mind at age five or six that I was going to work there. I thought that working there was [going to be] so very glamorous,” says Grassi. One of her earliest jobs at Wanamaker’s was serving on the store’s Teen Board. “We did informal modeling in the Crystal Tea Room on Saturdays at lunchtime. You would go from table to table showing off what you were wearing. You would stop at each table, twirl around and describe what you had on. You ended up selling it and you got experience in selling,” says Grassi. Most importantly, Wanamaker’s was an important employer of women. Grassi explains that “there was no other industry where a woman was a top notch executive, but there they were at Wanamaker’s. And that’s what helped attract me [to retail].”
Richard Hauser says that the strong feeling that people had for local retailers disappeared as people became older. “But Wanamaker’s was just as beloved in Philadelphia as Marshall Field was in Chicago,” says Hauser. Author Richard Longstreth continues the comparison of the Wanamaker’s legacy to that of Marshall Field’s. “Both Wanamaker’s and Field’s had been industry pioneers, had played a major role in recasting the department store as a palatial emporium at the turn of the century, continued to be national leaders, were the largest stores in their respective cities and purveyed the most stylish merchandise,” says Longstreth.107
William Zulker was impressed with John Wanamaker as a person. Zulker spent months helping to organize Wanamaker’s papers for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. “When I was given the first box, I sat there with tears rolling down my cheeks. I was thinking of the compassion and love within this family, between the father, the mother and the children. It was just fantastic to me,” says Zulker. He believes that the secret to John’s success was his personality and his deep religious faith.
Retail historian Bruce Kopytek recalls a visit he paid to Wanamaker’s in the late 1980s. The store was just beginning to be converted into a partial office building but Wanamaker’s still made a lasting impression on him. “It seemed beautiful, immaculate and so full of class and culture,” says Kopytek. He returned about twenty-five years later but the store was no match from what he remembered. “The shuttered Strawbridge & Clothier or the eternal parking lot where Gimbels once stood did nothing to lighten my mood,” states Kopytek.
Herbert Ershkowitz notes that Macy’s is the last department store in Center City. He wonders about the future of department stores, in general. “I’ve walked around Macy’s and there’s nobody in there. It really bothers me. I wonder, how long is it going to stay there?” says Ershkowitz. He recalls that it was even worse when it was Lord & Taylor. “I knew Lord & Taylor was not going to make it,” says Ershkowitz.
Peter Richard Conte says it is an “honor and a privilege” to be the Grand Court organist of the Wanamaker Organ. He refers to the organ as “the most symphonic musical instrument in the world” as well as “the pinnacle of the symphonic school of organ building.” Conte and his three assistants perform on the organ twice daily except Sunday. “If I’m in town, I’m here,” says Conte. “It’s a great gig!” In 2010, a restored Wurlitzer organ was placed in the building’s Greek Hall. “To have a retail establishment [Macy’s] adding organs to their stores in this environment is unbelievable. I just love it!” declares Conte. If the Liberty Bell is the “heart of Philadelphia,” as the saying goes, then the Wanamaker Organ is the voice of Philadelphia.108
The Grand Court still proudly displays the words that John Wanamaker followed in his personal and business lives. The words are rumored to be John Wanamaker’s final message to his associates. These same words are also inscribed on the famous Founder’s Bell, high atop Center City. Courtesy of the author.
But the problem that many Philadelphians have is “what do you call the store?” Since 1995, the name on the building has changed many times over. It can be difficult for a lifelong resident to adapt to a name on the building other than Wanamaker’s. Lynne Abraham doesn’t even know what it is called now. “To me, it will always be Wanamaker’s.” Pat Ciarrocchi calls it the “old Wanamaker’s.” “For that store, there isn’t any other identity than the ‘old Wanamaker’s,’” says Ciarrocchi. “If you’re from Philadelphia, if you have any history in this city, you just call it the ‘old Wanamaker’s.’”